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BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. today announced that the critically-acclaimed action-RPG SCARLET NEXUS has been added to the product lineup on Xbox Game Pass for Console, Xbox Game Pass for PC and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and is now available on Windows 10 PC. The Windows 10 version of SCARLET NEXUS supports Xbox Play Anywhere and the Xbox Game Pass version supports Cloud gaming on mobile devices.
To celebrate the arrival of SCARLET NEXUS on Xbox Game Pass and Windows 10 PC, BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. has revealed a brand-new trailer, which can be found at the following YouTube link:
New paid and free DLC for Scarlet Nexus has also been announced today. The Bond Enhancement Pack 1 includes new fairy tale themed costumes and weapons designed by character designer and illustrator Yusuke Kozaki, along with an expansion of the bond system with new interactions between party members as well as a new action – Crush Vision – which decrease the Crush Gauge of surrounding enemies while Brain Crush is activated. The free Ver.1.04 update will include a wide variety of new content including Challenges, new Plugins in the Shop, Brain Talk expansion, and new in-battle voices. Both paid DLC and the free update will be available soon. More information can be found with a new trailer found at the following YouTube link: https://youtu.be/rH6VkkpNrr8
In the far distant future where SCARLET NEXUS takes place, humanity has entered a new era where a psionic hormone has been discovered in the human brain which grants extra sensory powers. Meanwhile, mysterious deranged mutants known as the Others, descend from the sky hellbent on devouring human brains. The Others are impervious to conventional weapons and there seems little that humanity can do to withstand the onslaught. Humans with extra sensory abilities, known as Psychics, are recruited to the Other Suppression Force, as humanity’s last line of defense.
SCARLET NEXUS is now available for the Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows 10 PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC via STEAM.


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All we’ve heard for the past year-plus is how Android is killing it. The phones are taking over the world. And that’s true — from a unit perspective. But from an actual business perspective, things are decidedly murkier. Google says they’re making a good amount of money as a result of Android, but it’s clearly nothing compared to their main business. The carriers are doing well too — but carriers always do well. Being overly greedy tends to have this effect. As for the OEMs… well, that’s a different story.
The three largest Android OEMs are Samsung, HTC, and Motorola. Samsung just posted record quarterly profit. So far so good. But HTC just reported its first profit drop in two years. And Motorola just warned that its 4th quarter sales were going to miss as well. When you have to warn ahead of actual earnings, that’s a very bad sign.
So one of the three top Android OEMs is doing well. The other two are doing poorly. This matters because of what it means for the future.
We are currently assessing this source code, and over the next month we will be determining which devices will get the upgrade and when…
Motorola explaining their next steps to release Android Ice Cream Sandwich
To an 99.9% of end users, this entire thing must read like pure Latin.
Actually, scratch that.
Worse, when translated, this clearly means it’s going It’s to be months before any Motorola Android user gets ICS.
This entire post encompasses Android’s true fragmentation problem wrapped in one big shit-stained bow.

domain: news


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China's tourists are set to stick close to home and take advantage of discounts as they take time off for the first major holiday since the easing of coronavirus lockdowns, offering a glimpse of what travel may look like after the epidemic.
A five-day Labour Day holiday from May 1 is being seen as a test for the tourism industry, one of the sectors hardest hit by the coronavirus, which emerged in central China late last year and triggered shutdowns of up to three months.
Travel operator Trip.com estimates about 90 million people will go on holiday for the May Day break, less than half the number who went last year.
But hotels and major travel operators said they were optimistic about presale figures, with Marriott International saying many companies were promoting "staycations".
"It's encouraging to see signs of recovery after a long, cold winter," said Jolyon Bulley, chief executive of InterContinental Hotels Group Greater China, who told Reuters May Day bookings were showing some positive signs.
Many people were planning to visit places in home provinces or nearby cities, Trip.com said, citing ticket sales.
Half of its presold rooms were for five-star hotels, indicating travellers were seeking better quality accommodation due to epidemic concerns, it said.
They are also taking advantage of cheap domestic flights and hotel deals being offered by airlines and hotel chains eager to get people travelling again.
Prices for popular routes such as Beijing to Sanya, on the southern holiday island of Hainan, have been slashed by up to 90 percent, with booking on average 30 percent down, according to Alibaba Group's travel booking platform Fliggy.
In the financial hub of Shanghai, Marriott is offering guests a 2,202 yuan ($310) package that includes a one-night stay at its upscale W Hotel, a cocktail and tapas dinner and spa treatments.
Jiang Qin, a 38-year-old Beijing office worker, said she was going away but not too far. She aimed to take her 2-year-old daughter to the nearby city of Tianjin, having scrapped a plan to go to Hainan because of Beijing's quarantine requirements.
"Tianjin is not the best alternative, but I just want to travel. Anywhere is better than nowhere," she said.
However, industry executives warn that it too soon to say how robust the recovery in holiday travel will be given concern about a second wave of the coronavirus.
International travel remains out of the question for most, due to border restrictions imposed by other countries, a lack of flights and two weeks of quarantine that await people coming back to China.
Major tourism sites and some restaurants have and been told to limit occupancy to as low as 30 percent of normal levels, capping any recovery.
The China Tourist Attractions Association estimates that destinations will see an 80 percent drop in revenue in the first quarter.
"The uncertainties are not completely gone, and no one would be able to tell exactly what will happen," said Bulley.
"Recovery will continue to come in phases in China, and what we can do is to be fully prepared under the new norm."
Some small hotels and travel agencies have been forced to shut as the lockdown choked off revenue. Among the most high-profile casualties was Baicheng Travel Agency, which counts deep-pocketed tech giant Alibaba as an investor.
Boutique hotel Fun Deluxe in the Moganshan hill area, a three-hour drive from Shanghai, told Reuters the May Day holiday was giving it some hope of survival, with all of its 29 rooms, which cost up to 2,000 yuan a night, booked.
The hotel had to close in February because of the outbreak and has on average had only one room occupied a night since it reopened on March 6 - "not enough to pay our cleaning staff", said the hotel's service manager who gave her surname as Zhu.
"The income during May Day is vital," Zhu said.
"We really hope business will get back to normal after May Day."
($1 = 7.0799 yuan renminbi)


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Tattoo artists share 5 designs that will be popular in 2023 and 4 that will be less common
The pros say full-color pieces and the classic pocket-watch look will remain popular but white-ink and flash designs will be out in 2023.
I'm a tattoo artist. Here are 4 designs I think will be popular next year, and 4 that'll be less common.
From fine-line work and microrealism to white-ink designs and finger tats, some body-art trends will be more or less requested in the coming year.
A tattoo shop owner shares 3 tattoo trends that are overdone and 3 designs that will never go out of style
A good rule of thumb is to avoid tattoo designs made popular by celebrities, according to Stu Hepcat, a tattoo artist from Scotland.
Tattoo artists share 6 designs everyone will want this year, and 2 that'll be less popular
From minimalistic lines to full-blown portraits, some body-art styles are having a moment while others are fading out in 2022, according to the pros.
Tattoo artists share 10 designs everyone will want this year, and 4 that'll be less popular
From stick-and-poke body art to cartoon-style ink, tattoo artists shared which designs they think are trending this year and which ones aren't.
Why this 73-year-old tattoo artist is a legend in Japan
Meet Horoyoshi III, considered to be one of the world's finest full body tattoo artists. He has worked in Yokohama, near Tokyo, for the past 50 years.
This artist is the Lisa Frank of tattoos
Lilian Raya makes fun and colorful tattoos.
8 things you need to know before getting your first tattoo
Everything should know before committing to your first tattoo, according to an expert.
Birthstone tattoos are the new tiny tattoo trend that's about to blow up
Colorful and vibrant birthstone tattoos are popping up on Instagram feeds — here's why it's about to be the next big thing in the ink world.
Paris Jackson got a new tattoo on her chest — and it looks incredibly painful
The 19-year-old's latest tattoo of the seven chakras starts from her sternum and ends just above her navel.
Thousands of people are getting these 6 letters tattooed all over their bodies for a powerful reason
Social media users have flooded Instagram with photos of miniature "girl power" tattoos.
People are getting tiny tattoos on their cuticles — and posting photos of their ink all over Instagram
The art form features miniature illustrations such as lines, dots, and other details that are inked close to the base of a person's nail.


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Sprint Nextel Corp. s +0.80% Sprint Corp. U.S.: NYSE $8.78 +0.07 +0.80% March 11, 2014 4:00 pm Volume (Delayed 15m) : 19.08M AFTER HOURS $8.76 -0.02 -0.23% March 11, 2014 7:44 pm Volume (Delayed 15m): 341,577 P/E Ratio N/A Market Cap $34.28 Billion Dividend Yield N/A Rev. per Employee $934,026 03/11/14 Sprint Sizes Up Deal Pitch--He... 03/11/14 SoftBank Makes U.S. Pitch 03/11/14 Mr. Son Goes To Washington, Tr... More quote details and news » and Palm Inc. said they will begin selling their heavily anticipated Pre smart phone on June 6, as both companies look for a hit device to reverse customer defections.
The touch-screen model was introduced by Palm to great fanfare in January. Billed as a competitor to Apple Inc. aapl +0.97% Apple Inc. U.S.: Nasdaq $536.09 +5.17 +0.97% March 11, 2014 4:00 pm Volume (Delayed 15m) : 9.90M AFTER HOURS $536.10 +0.01 0.00% March 11, 2014 7:59 pm Volume (Delayed 15m): 124,588 P/E Ratio 13.21 Market Cap $473.87 Billion Dividend Yield 2.28% Rev. per Employee $2,163,820 03/11/14 Media Industry Worries About C... 03/11/14 Disney in Talks to Acquire Onl... 03/10/14 Apple's iOS 7 Gets First Major... More quote details and news » 's iPhone and the latest BlackBerrys, the Pre will cost $199 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a two-year Sprint contract, the companies said Tuesday.
Sprint, which has lost more than six million subscribers in the last six quarters, hopes the Pre will act as a strong retention tool for its wireless customers. Palm, of Sunnyvale, Calif., is hoping the device's new webOS software will help it regain market share.
The Pre, which has a slide-out keyboard, includes features new to mobile devices such as the ability to open several screens or programs simultaneously. It will initially work only on Sprint's network.
But the Pre faces stiff competition. Some analysts say Apple's next iPhone could surface as soon as a June 8 event the company is hosting for developers. An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment on the next iPhone, only pointing to the company's plans to release a software update for the device.
Sprint Chief Executive Dan Hesse said he expects pent-up demand for the Pre and supply shortages to develop. "We'll have shortages for a while," Mr. Hesse told analysts at a conference Tuesday.
Both Palm and Sprint said the iPhone didn't factor into the timing of the launch. "We really didn't look for any outside influence," said Kevin Packingham, who runs product and technology development for Sprint. Of the iPhone, he said: "We want customers to compare each device."
Macquarie Securities analyst Philip Cusick estimates that Palm could sell 100,000 Pres in its fiscal fourth quarter ending in June, up from a prior estimate of 50,000.
Sprint said the phone would be sold at Best Buy Co. bby -1.03% Best Buy Co. Inc. U.S.: NYSE $25.97 -0.27 -1.03% March 11, 2014 4:01 pm Volume (Delayed 15m) : 5.58M AFTER HOURS $25.90 -0.07 -0.27% March 11, 2014 7:59 pm Volume (Delayed 15m): 2,305 P/E Ratio 18.56 Market Cap $9.08 Billion Dividend Yield 2.62% Rev. per Employee $257,030 03/04/14 HEARD ON THE STREET: RadioShac... 02/27/14 HEARD ON THE STREET: Putting a... 02/27/14 Best Buy's Sales Drop on Weak ... More quote details and news » , RadioShack Corp. RSH +1.40% RadioShack Corp. U.S.: NYSE $2.17 +0.03 +1.40% March 11, 2014 4:00 pm Volume (Delayed 15m) : 3.36M AFTER HOURS $2.15 -0.02 -0.92% March 11, 2014 7:25 pm Volume (Delayed 15m): 13,188 P/E Ratio N/A Market Cap $214.74 Million Dividend Yield N/A Rev. per Employee $99,544.9 03/05/14 RadioShack's Store Closings to... 03/05/14 RadioShack Offers Bonuses to R... 03/04/14 RadioShack to Close Up to 1,10... More quote details and news » and some Wal-Mart Stores Inc. WMT +0.66% Wal-Mart Stores Inc. U.S.: NYSE $74.92 +0.49 +0.66% March 11, 2014 4:00 pm Volume (Delayed 15m) : 8.99M AFTER HOURS $74.92 0.00 0.00% March 11, 2014 6:28 pm Volume (Delayed 15m): 49,610 P/E Ratio 15.26 Market Cap $240.84 Billion Dividend Yield 2.56% Rev. per Employee $216,497 03/11/14 Stocks of Fuel-Cell Manufactur... 03/09/14 Deal Gives Safeway Scope to Th... 03/06/14 Cerberus Reaches Deal for Safe... More quote details and news » locations. It will also be available through Sprint's stores and Web site.
—Jeffry Bartash contributed to this article.
Write to Roger Cheng at email@example.com


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Medical device startup Aspero Medical has expanded its leadership team with two new management hires. Allison Lyle is joining the company as Director of Engineering, while Jeff Castleberry will serve as Director of Operations.
"We are extremely pleased to add both Allison and Jeff to the Aspero Medical team,” said Aspero Medical founder and CEO Mark Rentschler. "They bring the broad experience in new product development, operations, and product commercialization that is necessary for Aspero Medical to realize the launch and commercialization of our products and technology. I look forward to working with them as we continue to build out the company and our product offering."
Ms. Lyle comes to Aspero Medical from Bolder Surgical™, where her 10-year career included experience at all stages of medical device product management. In her new role, she will begin by overseeing development of the company’s C-Tube large bowel intraoperative endoscopy balloon overtube.
Mr. Castleberry has more than 35 years of experience in the medical device industry, including in his previous role as CEO of ForCast Orthopaedics, Inc. He will bring to Aspero Medical his considerable expertise in helping to develop new companies and bring products and technologies to market.


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Shopping and comfort food are best ways to beat the blues
Need cheering up? Shopping has been proven to be a fail safe way to beat the blues, a new study has revealed.
Researchers from the University of Rotterdam discovered that indulging in comfort foods or going on a shopping spree were sure fire ways to help forget your problems.
Participants in the study were asked to write an essay on either death or visiting the dentist. Those with low self-esteem were found to eat more biscuits while working on the piece, which researchers attributed to being a form of comfort to escape negative thoughts.
A similar effect was found when participants were asked to create a shopping list, with those with low self-esteem generally buying more.
Study leader Dirk Smeesters commented, ‘when you indulge in shopping or eating, it helps you forget yourself’


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Apparently, the United States is not the only place where the crypto-taxation discussion has been a subject of controversy. The Polish Finance Ministry recently issued a tax ruling that will see taxes levied on all crypto transactions regardless of whether they constitute a profit or not. This ruling has sparked a feud between the government and the outraged cryptocurrency traders who have now resorted to protests.
The tax ruling which was published a fortnight ago stated that income form crypto-trading is subject to tax rules and fall under two tax brackets – that is, 18 percent and 32 percent. In addition to this, all the cryptocurrency traders in the country will have to pay a mandatory 1 percent tax on the value of all their cryptocurrency transactions. Furthermore, the taxes that have been imposed on the traders could go as high as a hundred or a thousand times of the traders’ capital investments and this could eventually cripple the crypto trading market in the country.
In response to the ruling, the outraged Polish cryptocurrency traders opted to put together an online petition that argues that the ruling was not only going to wipe out the cryptocurrency community in Poland but will also set the country’s efforts to develop blockchain technology back. As it stands, Poles will be required to file their annual personal income statements on April 30 – the petition that has already been signed by 2,200 people hopes to derail the stipulations of the ruling ahead of this date.
“We are demanding the release of the blockchain technology market and the abolition of all taxes related to this industry,” the petition read. “We want to be active creators of this technology, not just its passive recipients in the coming years, from centralized Polish institutions or foreign entities.”
From a neutral observer’s point of view, the Polish government’s stance on decentralized digital currencies should be enough to keep cryptocurrency traders awake at night. The country’s Prime Minister has previously labeled cryptocurrencies as “Ponzi schemes,” an opinion that is shared by a vast majority of the government officials. As such, the tax levy on crypto transactions stinks of a government-sanctioned attack on digital currencies. But will it be enough to tame the rather spontaneous crypto ecosystem?


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Coca-Cola will unveil its new soft drink, Coca-Cola Blak, during the Oscar pre-show on Sunday (05MAR06). The new beverage is a combination of Coke and coffee and is scheduled to hit grocery store shelves in the US this spring (06).
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Go Back in Time using our Photos archive to see what happened on a particular day in the past.
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New single Never Let It Go Out Friday October 16th.
DANCE TO TIPPERARY NEW SINGLE
NEVER LET IT GO
Released Friday 16th October
In March of this year Dance To Tipperary began celebrating their 20th anniversary with the digital release of their ‘20 for 20’ album and a special 20th anniversary edition of their self-titled debut album.
The albums were released as scheduled. Unfortunately special 20 year celebration concerts and live appearances being planned had to be postponed due to Covid-19.
Despite these necessary changes to plans, Dance To Tipperary have done their best to celebrate 20 years and have helped and supported some in need along the way in these extraordinarily strange and difficult times.
The single ‘What Kind Of World’, penned by legendary songwriter Diane Warren, was released on 17th July, 2020.
The full Dance To Tipperary catalogue was also made available on all streaming platforms in all countries around the world for the first time.
DANCE TO TIPPERARY said...
"It's incredible to think it's now over 20 years since our debut album was released. Before any big hits, big gigs and even the term "Dance to Tipp", it was just a group of friends and musicians steeped in Irish traditional roots who decided to do something different and make a few dance tunes with Irish trad in them. We had no thought of longevity or legacy.
It certainly has not been easy at times but we always found some ray of light or hope or support somewhere. We haven't let it go for over twenty years, been close a few times but ultimately didn't.
We dedicate this track to all suffering and finding life difficult and challenging in these unprecedented times.
We would like to thank absolutely everybody who has supported us along the way and made this epic and unique journey we started over 20 years possible. We hope to see you all sometime in the future.
Never Let It Go!”
When Never Let it Go was originally recorded, vocalist Chilli said “Never Let It Go is my stand-out favourite and the one I am most looking forward to performing live. Believe me this song is going to rock!"
Never Let It Go (2020 Radio Edit) has been mastered at Abbey Road Studios.
Never Let It Go will be available on Friday 16th October from Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Play and all other streaming and download services.
Pre-save or pre-order on your favourite listening choice here. https://orcd.co/dw9vqy5


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2K today announced that NBA 2K16 will offer fans an Early Tip-Off Weekend, putting the full game into the hands of fans four days ahead of the scheduled street date.
Beginning today, fans can pre-order NBA 2K16, ensuring they receive their copy beginning on Friday, September 25, four days ahead of the game’s September 29 street date, along with in-game bonuses.
“NBA 2K16 promises to be one of the most groundbreaking sports titles in video game history, combining exciting new features with uncanny realism,” said Alfie Brody, vice president of marketing for NBA 2K. “We’re always seeking new ways to excite and ignite our fans’ tremendous passion for the franchise, and offering unmatched early access is just another way to bring them closer to the on-court action they crave.”
In addition to Early Tip-Off Weekend access, NBA 2K16 pre-orders will include the following in-game bonuses:
-10,000 Virtual Currency (VC);
-MyTEAM VIP Package:
o New-Gen & PC - 3 MyTEAM Emerald Packs each with a guaranteed Emerald player;
o Prior-Gen - MyTEAM Gold Booster Pack with Guaranteed Gold Player and 4 additional Gold items.
NBA 2K16 will be available for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Windows PC on September 29, 2015.


text: Media Relations The 5 most popular stories on PR Daily this week This week, PR Daily readers focused on cutting jargon and corporate fluff from their communications, boosting their personal brands and finding alternatives to risky relationships with influential celebrities. By PR Daily StaffAug. 29, 2016 SHARE Ragan Insider Premium Content RELATED: Learn to produce newscast-ready video and B-roll that media notice and fans share. To read the full story, log in. Become a Ragan Insider member to read this article and all other archived content. Sign up today Already a member? Log in here. Learn more about Ragan Insider.


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Have Drone Will Travel: Slow-Moving Regulators Force Innovation Overseas
from the letting-innovation-fly-away dept
Drones are leaving the U.S. for greener pastures, according to several media outlets (e.g., WSJ and Bloomberg). In response to slow-moving U.S. domestic policy on commercial drone use, innovators are moving abroad, to jurisdictions where regulations have been updated to delineate when drones may be used in the commercial context. (Keep in mind, we are not talking about fixed wing Predator drones with Hellfire missiles, but aircraft that are already available commercially with much of the same technology already incorporated into our mobile phones.) Besides smaller companies actually moving abroad to places where they can sell their wares, even the likes of Google and Amazon have moved their drone testing to Australia and India, respectively.
Making matters worse, export control policies are poorly targeted, and prevent some drones made with widely available technology built in the United States from being sold overseas. In fact, according to the Wall Street Journal, 3D Robotics ? a San Diego-based company that specializes in drones with video capability ? was only allowed to resume selling some of its products in a number of countries because the drones were manufactured in Mexico:
Export rules prompted 3D Robotics to temporarily halt shipments to 44 countries this spring. It has since secured a new classification from the U.S. Commerce Department, in part because it manufactures its drones in Mexico, allowing it to resume foreign sales.
And for those inclined to view this as a minor development in a niche market, at least one study predicts that allowing commercial drone use in the United States could create 100,000 new jobs and $82 billion in economic impact over the course of the next decade.
A lot of smart people have already said a lot of smart things about the drone situation, so I won’t delve too deeply into the nuances of streamlining commercial drone policy making. Clearly, there are good reasons why commercial drones can’t take to the sky without some rules, but it is imperative that regulators move efficiently to establish a framework where, for example, a real estate agent or a surveyor can survey a property with a drone (in the same way it is currently legal for a non-commercial user to fly an off-the-shelf drone in her backyard). That is not happening now. According to the Department of Transportation’s own Inspector General, the FAA is likely to miss its Congressionally mandated deadline in coming up with rules that allow for the expansion of commercial drone use.
There’s a general point here worth expanding on: even if a country does everything right, creating a fertile environment for research, investment, and innovation (aka the hard stuff), innovation will nevertheless move overseas if outdated regulations impede the lawful sale or use of a product or service. It does not matter if the United States has the brightest minds, best expertise and easiest access to venture capital; if you can’t sell, test or export drones here, then we will see those jobs and that talent go overseas to more fertile ground. In fact, this is already happening. And even if the FAA eventually comes up with a workable set of regulations that allow commercial drone activity, in fast moving industries ? where first mover advantage is enormous ? bureaucratic delays can be terminal.
Take Japan in the 1990s. Japan was a high-tech giant. In the early 1990s, both the U.S. and Japan had companies interested in innovating in online search engines. However, Japan’s highly restrictive set of copyright laws meant that in order to index a website you had to get the website owner’s permission first. When there are a couple hundred or a couple thousand websites, this is feasible. But clearly, this does not scale. Fortunately for U.S. innovators, the U.S. had copyright “fair use” enshrined into law, which allowed transformative uses of copyrighted content. This paved the way for U.S. search engine entrepreneurs, while the Japanese search sector never got off the ground. Even though Japan eventually updated its copyright law to make search engines legal (in 2007!), it was too late. As of today, U.S. search providers (Yahoo Japan and Google) have well over 90% of the Japanese search market.
The “crypto wars” of the 1990s are also a place to look for a parallel to the drone fight. Until 1992, the U.S. government imposed very strict export controls on cryptography. Although the export of strong encryption technology was viewed by many in the law enforcement and national security communities as detrimental to their missions, the rise of electronic commerce greatly increased the need for robust encryption in commercial products and Internet services. What followed was a long drawn out battle in which encryption proponents focused on several key arguments, including the logistical problems with trying to prevent the export of programming concepts, the widespread availability of cryptography internationally and free speech concerns. Another angle, which tied in with the ease of moving cryptographical research overseas, was that innovation in the U.S. would be harmed as much software engineering would be forced to move overseas in order to get around the onerous U.S. restrictions ? restrictions that would have little actual effect on the worldwide availability of cryptography. Jon Peha, a professor at Carnegie Mellon who would later go on to be the Assistant Director of the White House’s Office of Science and Technology policy, outlined some of the competitiveness concerns in a paper he wrote on encryption policy in 1998:
Industry critics argued that the restrictions accomplished little, since 128 bit encryption without key escrow is already readily available outside the US. An April 1998 report from the Economic Strategy Institute concluded that the policies imposed at that time (i.e. the 1996 interim policy) would cost the US economy between 35 and 96 billion dollars between 1998 and 2002. Some US companies have overcome these limitations by purchasing foreign products or shifting development activities overseas. For example, in March 1998, Network Associates announced that it would begin contracting all encryption development to a Swiss company.
By 2000, U.S. restrictions were sufficiently relaxed and the sale of software with encryption technology in it was made significantly easier. However, in certain situations export controls still apply, and the process for complying with them is still relatively byzantine. (And, with the recent NSA scandal and the fallout, we might be heading towards the Crypto Wars II.) To this day, there is still significant discussion on how the remaining export controls affect national competitiveness. (See European Commission Document on Export Controls, page 7.)
Churning out smart engineers and cultivating venture capital is not enough to succeed in a competitive globalized world. Policy bandwidth needs to be devoted to clearing unnecessary hurdles to commercializing and exporting the fruits of that innovation. Although Europe’s “innovation policy” is lagging the U.S., countries like Germany are ascending to the lead in drone innovation because people can actually use drones commercially and export them to other countries. If a company cannot achieve the sales base necessary to scale their business, then they cannot continue to innovate.
Going forward, we should not just think of the other domestic policy fights in a vacuum. Take Tesla, for example. They are succeeding in producing commercially attractive electric vehicles where so many other companies have failed: a public policy and economic triumph that has been nearly universally lauded. Yet, they face sales bans or restrictions in over half of the states in the U.S based on a set of outdated and widely criticized auto dealer regulations. As the company continues to scale, and as foreign markets grow and more consumers worldwide fall into the crosshairs of Tesla’s salespeople, an unnecessarily restrained domestic market will only force the company to locate more infrastructure and talent overseas than they otherwise would in the first place.
In the Tesla and drone cases, we got the hard stuff right. The United States fostered an innovative and dynamic economy that unleashed a wave on entrepreneurship and innovation. Now, much like the situation in immigration policy where we are pushing some of our best and brightest minds overseas, slow moving regulators and policymakers are forcing some of our nation’s most dynamic companies overseas as well.
Reposted from the Disruptive Competition Project
Filed Under: competition, drones, innovation, regulations
Comments on “Have Drone Will Travel: Slow-Moving Regulators Force Innovation Overseas”
The featured Parrot Drone
We have some of these – they are no more than a novelty and borderline useless for anything practical.
Quadcopters are easy to make and cheap because they move the complicated aspects of proper helicopters out of the mechanics and into the elctronice. Usually this is a good strategy – but not here because the side effects of doing this mean that they are unflyable in anything but perfect weather because of the lack of control authority. Since a proper collective pitch micro-helicopter can be purchased for around $100 nowadays ther is no reason to use a quadcopter. For many applications a fixed wing aircraft will be better.
It puzzles me that calling a model aircraft a “drone” somehow makes it a new piece of technology. It isn’t – it’s just a model aircraft = and in the case of a quadcopter a pretty badly designed one at that!
Re: The featured Parrot Drone
For information – here is an example of a proper commercial drone system – csaable of doing a wide range of work – and fully legal under UK (CAA) safety rules:
Re: The featured Parrot Drone
This isn’t about $100 quadcopters and micro-helicopters but a multi billion dollar industry. There is absolutely no reason a quadcopter can’t have good control authority the same as a collective pitch helicopter – it’s simply a matter of using the right high quality components. High RPM rotors and 3-axis gyros and accelerometers with some decent stability software will make any helicopter or quadcopter as stable as a rock even in adverse conditions. Sure, it’ll cost more to do it in a quad or hex rotor, but the payload capacity will be much higher.
There is a good reason the military uses multirotors and not micro helicopters in small applications like recon drones – for the size and weight of the unit, they have far better payload capabilities and are inherently more stable.
Re: The featured Parrot Drone
I agree the Parrot AR.Drone is a bad example. It’s nothing more than a way overhyped, overpriced, hard to control twitchy toy that produces horribly jelloed video that they seem to actually be proud of. Maybe the’re immune to it since that’s all they’ve seen… :-/ And using a mobile device with Wi-Fi to fly any aircraft real-time is a joke. About the only good thing is the control by map mode, but you’re still limited to the crappy range of Wi-Fi.
But I’m not sure where you’re going with the rest of your comment. Basing it on the AR.Drone is pretty short sighted, because you clearly are aware that there is better based on your 2nd comment. And Daniel did mention 3D Robotics, which is leaps and bounds better.
A $100 collective pitch helicopter isn’t even going to lift a keychain camera. And why collective pitch anyway? It’s not like the aerial photography platform needs to fly upside down. A 4 channel fixed pitch setup would be cheaper and just as effective.
There are multirotor solutions starting only twice as expensive as the AR.Drone with infinitesimally better control and video stability and quality.
And multirotors can hover, and with enough motors, like 6 or more, and the right flight controller, they can afford to lose one or maybe more and still make it back in one piece. And again, they’re not that much more expensive than Parrot’s toy.
Don’t be silly. If they actually solved problems, what would they be able to promise to fix in order to get elected?
Actually creating jobs would be political suicide. You need to promise job creation, then preserve a state of widespread unemployment, to ensure that the public remains disgruntled in your favor.
Fortunately, that’s an easy matter. All you have to do is let a bunch of poorly-run megacorps pay your election bills for you, then just write whatever stupid laws they tell you to write while claiming that they’ll “create jobs”. The megacorps’ small competitors all die pointless deaths, unemployment stays in the double digits, and the masses keep voting for anyone who uses the phrase “job creation”. Piece of cake.
Some policies are bought by the sectors that benefited from the lack of them or at least because they were reasonable and fairly open. Copyright, Patents, the Auto dealers case… The US is letting legacy players burden their economy to the point it will eventually succumb to its own weight. If nothing is done to stop the Disneys and the likes of the world.
I can only sigh. I have so been looking forward to looking out my window, seeing a clear blue sky dotted with drones doing all sorts of innovative things designed to make my life better. Now it looks like I’ll have to move to India if I want to realize my dream.
I sense sarcasm! But yeah, drones do have issues concerning privacy and other stuff. Eventually we’ll have to address them.
After reading the article all I can say is, amen.
FAA needs to get it's act together
If this is true, we really need to have the government get its act together. There is so much enthusiasm right now with quadcopters, it’d be a shame to see it wasted and curbed because of an inept government.


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In “Casino Royale,” James Bond gets a lesson in tailored clothing when Vesper Lynd gives him a new dinner jacket. Bond tell her he already has a jacket, and Lynd replies, “There are dinner jackets and dinner jackets. This one is the latter.” News from Lanzante makes us paraphrase that line in saying, “There are 911 restomods and 911 restomods.” Lanzante’s is definitely the latter. The English engineering firm is building 11 Eighties-era Porsche 930s with genuine TAG-branded Porsche engines that the McLaren Formula One team used to win 25 races.
From 1984 to 1987, Porsche built a 1.5-liter turbocharged V6, branded as the TAG-Porsche TTE P01, for the McLaren MP4/2 and MP4/3; if the naming seems odd to cover four years, it’s because McLaren raced the MP4/2B and MP4/2C in 1985 and 1986. The engine produced more than 1,000 horsepower in qualifying trim, and 750 hp in race spec. In its first three years on the grid, the engine powered McLaren to two Constructor’s Championships, and three Driver’s Championships for Niki Lauda and Alain Prost.
During that time, McLaren built a prototype Porsche 930 with that TAG engine, but kept it so far out of sight that people spoke of it as a rumor. The English carmaker finally proved the rumor true a few years ago when it put the prototype on display in the lobby of its Woking headquarters.
Enter Lanzante, which has a history with McLaren going back to at least 1995, when it prepped the Veno Clinic McLaren F1 GTR that won Le Mans that year. More recently, it built road-legal P1 GTRs called the P1 GT, and a one-off P1 Longtail. McLaren sold Lanzante the 11 engines for this run of monstrously overpowered Porsche coupes, and Lanzante showed off the first example at the recent Rennsport Reunion at Laguna Seca — news that somehow got lost in the general Porsche overdose and Moby Dick revival.
Built just like the original McLaren-Porsche prototype, no one will think anything’s astray with the new version’s white bodywork and RUF wheels. The camouflage continues inside, where a pair of upholstered racing buckets might offer a small clue. The instrument panel gives things away, containing a tachometer branded “TAG Turbo” with a 9,000-rpm redline, and a water temperature gauge.
Cosworth is restoring the engines for the program, and each of the 11 examples gets a plaque in the engine bay listing its engine’s race history. In 1984, Niki Lauda won the British Grand Prix and Alain Prost won the Portuguese Grand Prix with the engine in Lanzante’s display car.


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Kerala govt to implement rating score for taxpaying traders
The Kerala government is gearing up to implement an exclusive 'rating score' for state's traders who submit their annual returns accurately on time and remit income tax without fail.
Titled as "Tax Payer Card", the Kerala State Goods and Services Tax department is implementing the initiative for those traders who are registered under the GST Act. According to official sources, State Finance Minister K N Balagopal will launch the ambitious initiative via online.
The unique card would let people know whether the traders are filing their monthly and annual returns on time under GST Act and whether the details submitted by them are accurate. The rating score is expected to be beneficial to both the tax payers as well as the public, they said. As far as common people are concerned, the card would help them purchase articles from the shops with good rating and would also check the imposition of undue tax from them by some traders.
For tax payers, the initiative would be a boon to get speedy, effective and transparent tax payment services, they said adding the selection of shops having good rating for availing B2B services would help to get the input tax credit on time. Of the total 100 score, 50 points are given to the timely filing of returns (GSTR 1).
Thirty points are allotted for the accuracy in filing, 20 marks for the timely filing of the annual returns (GSTR 9), official sources added.
Source: The Economic Times


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Sony is making moves to bring its PlayStation VR2 headsets to Windows PC, according to a recent announcement on the PlayStation Blog. This development would allow players to use Sony’s latest VR headsets on their PCs, similar to Meta’s Quest 2 or 3 headsets. The company aims to roll out this feature sometime in 2024.
While details are still scarce, this news is exciting for VR enthusiasts who want to expand their gaming experiences beyond the PlayStation platform. With PC support, PlayStation VR2 users will have access to a whole new library of games that are currently unavailable on the PlayStation VR2. This move aligns with Sony’s slow embrace of the PC platform, as they continue to release more PlayStation Studios games for PC.
The PlayStation VR2 headset, which was launched on February 22, 2023, received praise for its innovative technology and quality. However, it has been lacking in terms of first-party game support. After the initial launch with Horizon Call of the Mountain, co-developed by Guerrilla Games and Firesprite, there has been a dearth of first-party game announcements for the system.
Although the original PlayStation VR headset sold over 5 million units during its lifetime, Sony has not disclosed the sales figures for the newer headset. This lack of transparency raises questions about the headset’s performance in the market.
For VR fans, the addition of PC support for PlayStation VR2 opens up new possibilities and expands the functionality of the headset. It provides an opportunity to play games that were previously exclusive to other platforms. However, the absence of first-party game announcements from Sony suggests a lack of focus on developing games specifically for the PlayStation VR2.
From an analysis standpoint, this move by Sony is a positive one. It gives the PlayStation VR2 more versatility and allows players to compete in the PC VR market. As a result, some consumers may hold off on purchasing other VR headsets to see how this development plays out. However, it also sends a clear signal that Sony may not prioritize first-party game support for the headset. Players who were hoping for exclusive titles from PlayStation may need to look elsewhere.
Additionally, this move may prompt other game developers to bring VR support to PC. For example, Capcom could potentially release VR modes for Resident Evil Village and Resident Evil 4 on PC, as the current modes are exclusive to Sony’s headset. This expansion of VR support to PC opens up new opportunities for developers and players alike.
In conclusion, Sony’s decision to bring PlayStation VR2 headsets to Windows PC is a significant development for VR gaming. It offers PlayStation VR2 users a new way to enjoy their headsets and access a wider range of games. While the lack of first-party game announcements may be disappointing for some, the potential for PC support and third-party titles makes the PlayStation VR2 a worthwhile investment. As the VR market continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how Sony’s decision impacts the industry as a whole.


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Paris Hilton‘s cat drawing sells for $17,00 in ETH. Media personality and businesswoman, Paris Hilton is the latest to have sold her drawing to Cryptograph.
She announced that she successfully auctioned a digital painting of her cat, Munchkin, for 40 ETH, worth almost $17,000. The sale was held through an Ethereum-based auction platform called Cryptograph.
According to a tweet released by Hilton, the money raised from the photo sale will go to three United States charities — The LA Food Bank, Meals On Wheels, and BB4Homeless.
The anonymous winner of Paris’ auction, known only as “Adirolls”, has also bought artwork made by Bitcoin.com’s founder, Roger Ver, and the Ethereum Foundation researcher, Vlad Zamfir.
[image: Wallpaper Cave]


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Weave, a customer communications platform, and Sunbit, a buy now, pay later (BNPL) platform, recently partnered to provide BNPL options to small healthcare practices.
The financial product will allow patients to pay for their healthcare treatments over time in installments, according to a joint press release. The companies have stated that the BNPL option does not have any kind of fees.
“Collecting payments is one of the most important interactions with patients in a small healthcare practice,” said Branden Neish, chief product officer at Weave. “Combining Weave’s communications platform with Sunbit’s Buy Now, Pay Later technology creates a solution that helps practices deliver a better patient experience while generating more fundraising revenue each month.”
If you’re having financial difficulty, you might consider paying off your debt with a personal loan. This can help you consolidate your payments at a lower interest rate, saving you money over time. Visit Credible to find your personalized rate without affecting your credit score.
BNPL’S INCLUSION IN CREDIT REPORTS CAUSES INCREASING CONSUMER CONCERNS AND INVESTIGATIVE CLAIMS
Majority of patients approved for BNPL, companies say
Sunbit said the majority of patients who apply for this BNPL product are approved and can split their healthcare costs into smaller payments.
“Too many patients are delaying needed dental work, new eyeglasses or pet surgery because of the upfront cost,” said Oded Vakrat, head of platform partnerships at Sunbit. “We are excited to partner with Weave so practices can focus on delivering top-notch care to more patients who no longer have to worry about how they will pay. With Sunbit technology, 90% of patients are approved, and they can divide their costs into manageable payments.”
Typically, BNPL providers – such as Affirm, Klarna and Paypal – partner with retailers to allow shoppers to split the cost of their online purchases into installments at checkout. These interest-free payments are usually due a few weeks after purchase.
BNPL is rapidly gaining momentum as an alternative payment option, with its global transaction value reaching $120 billion in 2021, according to a recent report from GlobalData. And the sector is expected to continue to grow — Projected GlobalData the BNPL market could reach $576 billion by 2026.
If you have BNPL debt that you need help repaying, you may want to consider using a personal loan. Visit Credible to compare multiple personal lenders at once and choose the one with the best interest rate for you.
APPLE’S CONSUMER DATA PROVIDES ‘COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE’ TO BNPL, EXPERT SAYS
Regulators weigh BNPL security
Regulators have become increasingly suspicious of the BNPL market as its popularity grows. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently launched an investigation into the use and security of BNPL programs.
One suggestion for BNPL providers is to convert their offerings to include a short-term personal loan option, TTV Capital partner Sean Banks said recently during the FinTech South Conference in Atlanta, Ga.
Some providers have considered increasing the number of installments from four to six or 12. But while these longer installment loans may be safer, banks have said BNPL providers are likely to keep the shorter term.
If you’re unsure if a personal loan is right for you, you can contact Credible to speak with a loan expert and get all your questions answered.
Do you have a financial question, but you don’t know who to contact? Email the Credible Money Expert at [email protected] and your question might be answered by Credible in our Money Expert column.


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All products by Hero MotoCorp will come with AHO as standard by April 2017. AHO or Automatic Headlamps On is a feature in which the headlight remains on always.
Hero MotoCorp will update all its models by April 2017 to make them compliant with the upcoming rules. The new rules are expected to make features like Automatic Headlamp On and ABS compulsory on all two-wheelers. The manufacturer is working towards making its entire range comply with the rules by April 2017.
The automaker will also update the engines on the current range of scooters and motorcycles to make them BS-IV compliant. Hero already has the BS-IV compliant vehicles in the form of the new Achiever 150 and Hero Splendor iSmart 110.
The upcoming regulations will also make it compulsory for two-wheelers to come with some sort of combined braking systems. The manufacturer already has Integrated Braking System (IBS) in its range of scooters. Hero also claims that they are working on preparing their products for BS-VI emission norms which will become applicable in April 2020.
Hero is also looking to expand internationally. Currently they are having a presence in 20 markets, it plans to enter 10 more markets. The new products will be developed at the Centre of Innovation and Technology (CIT) in Jaipur.
With stricter norms, more manufacturers are expected to introduce these features on their products. The government finally seems to have taken a positive step towards ensuring road safety in India on the part of the manufacturer. Still, we have a long way to go before Indian vehicles and roads become safe upto international standards at least.
Hero Bikes To Get AHO
– The new Achiever 150 and Splendor iSmart 110 already have AHO
– The manufacturer is also preparing rest of its products for BS-IV emission norms
– Hero is already working on complying with BS-VI emission norms by 2020


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14 July 2006
14 July 2006
NLR in the Netherlands has selected FiberSIM software for designing complex composite products and parts, and all NLR member organizations will have access to FiberSIM.
The Automated Composites Manufacturing Technology Center (ACM-TC) at the National Aerospace Laboratory NLR has pioneered many innovative fabrication technologies that have helped drive the use of composite parts in the aerospace industry in recent years. Manufacturers apply NLR’s research to enhance and automate their design and manufacturing processes. ACM-TC engineers will use FiberSIM as their specialized composite design environment to more efficiently and cost-effectively create complex, pre-formed parts with reduced development risks, costs and cycle times.
“FiberSIM supports all the processes and methodologies NLR uses to create composite parts, but more importantly, it helps automate these processes so we can develop parts more quickly and affordably,” said Bert Thuis, head of the Structures Technology Department at National Aerospace Laboratory NLR. “Affordability and strength are primary drivers for the use of lightweight composite structures. FiberSIM’s design features enable our engineers to reduce assembly and tooling costs while allowing them to create new, innovative designs that provide a competitive edge to our clients and members.”
“One of the biggest challenges for today’s engineers is to design innovative products that are cost-effective to manufacture yet meet the demanding specifications of the aerospace industry. NLR’s research is helping manufacturers strike that balance,” said Alex Edwards, general manager, Europe at VISTAGY. “We’re proud that NLR is using FiberSIM to assess and establish new ways of developing composite parts that will drive the industry forward.”
New Zealand company Revolution Fibres is tripling nanofibre production to meet increased international demand from a range of industries, from cosmetics manufacturers through to Formula One teams.
US company Web Industries has opened its first European sales office in Hamburg, Germany.
Airborne Aerospace has been awarded a contract by Airbus Defence and Space Netherlands to manufacture 48 substrate panels for the solar arrays of 12 new Galileo FOC satellites.


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POCO X3 Pro bags BIS certification, launch in India imminent
POCO is gearing up to introduce the X3 Pro model in India soon. In the latest development, the handset, with model number M2102J20SI, has received certification from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), hinting at its imminent launch in the country. In the recent days, the X3 Pro has also bagged certifications from TUV, FCC, EEC, and some other platforms.
POCO X3 Pro: At a glance
The POCO X3 Pro is expected to feature a punch-hole cut-out display with slim bezels. On the rear, it will house a quad camera setup. The handset is likely to come with a 6.67-inch Full-HD+ (1080x2400 pixels) IPS LCD screen with an aspect ratio of 20:9 and a 120Hz refresh rate. It will also get a side-mounted fingerprint sensor for secure biometric authentication.
For the shutterbugs and selfie lovers
The POCO X3 Pro will reportedly sport a quad rear camera setup comprising a 48MP primary sensor. The details of the other three lenses are not known as of now. The handset will pack a single camera on the front for selfies and video calling.
Under the hood
The POCO X3 Pro is expected to be powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset, paired with up to 8GB of RAM and up to 128GB of storage. It may run on Android 11-based MIUI for POCO and pack a 6,000mAh battery with fast-charging support. For connectivity, it will offer support for dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.1, and a Type-C port.
Availability and pricing
The official launch and pricing details of the POCO X3 Pro are yet to be revealed. However, considering the expected specifications, the handset should cost around Rs. 20,000.


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News Feed Item
Staples Makes Buying Graduation Gifts Happen for Less
|By Business Wire
|May 14, 2014 10:02 AM EDT
This graduation season, Staples, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLS), makes finding the
perfect gift for graduates easy with a wide variety of technology
products and more. From laptops and tablets to mobile phones and
accessories to gift cards and online shopping, Staples and its new Staples®
College Center online offer all of the latest must-have tech items
to keep graduates wired and connected.
“From the classroom to the dorm room, Staples has great gifts to get
soon-to-be grads ready for college,” said Alison Corcoran, senior vice
president, stores and online marketing at Staples. “Whether shopping in
store, online, on mobile devices or on our in-store kiosks, customers
will find gadgets and gear to get graduates fully prepared for their
next journey in life.”
On Staples.com the all-new College Center online features gift giving
suggestions that range from a huge selection of the latest in technology
to dorm room décor, small appliances as well as snacks and cleaning
Graduating Wired and Connected
According to Student Monitor, 63 percent of student-owned computers are
received as a gift or purchased by parents. Laptops from leading brands
such as Toshiba®, HP®,
Asus® and Lenovo® are
perfect for reading online textbooks, getting school work done, playing
a game or video chatting with friends and family in a dorm, around
campus or in the classroom.
Tablets are becoming must-have accessories for today’s tech-savvy grads.
Whether used for taking notes in lecture halls, keeping up with student
life via social media or reading classroom assignments, tablets such as
the Microsoft Surface Pro 2, Google™ Nexus 7, Samsung
Galaxy Tab4 7” and 10.1”and Kindle Fire HD serve as great
Celebrate graduates accomplishments – and help them stay close with
family and friends – with the new Samsung Galaxy S5, now
available at select Staples stores nationwide and Staples.com. Designed
to be dustproof and water-resistant, the Galaxy S5 is perfect for
students’ everyday needs and more. Its camera includes the selective
focus feature allows users to easily select elements to focus on and the
things to blur out. Samsung’s new phone also packs a fingerprint scanner
and a built-in heart rate monitor. Other great gift ideas include
portable phone chargers and technology accessories.
Keep it Protected
Staples EasyTech Total Support plans are a great way for students away
from home to keep their tech items for both their new and old PCs
protected. The service ensures critical maintenance for PCs with one-
and two- year plans that include virus removal, in-store diagnostics,
in-store software installation, internet security and #1-rated SquareTrade
Accident Protection Plans. Additional services include Data Transfer,
Microsoft Office and Premier PC Setup.
To see the latest technology essentials from all the best brands for
college, visit The
Staples College Center. For additional information on Staples
EasyTech Total Support plans, visit www.staples.com/techservices.
If you’re unsure about what to get someone, a gift card never expires
and they can shop for all of their college essentials even when classes
start. Additionally, graduation gift buyers can save with Staples
Rewards and earn five percent back on everything including technology,
plus free shipping on Staples.com.
Know you’re getting the best price with the Staples Price Match
Guarantee. Staples customers are guaranteed to pay the lowest
price every time they shop, whether it’s in stores or online. Staples
will price match items sold and shipped by Amazon.com or any retailer
who sells products in both retail stores and online under the same brand.
Staples makes it easy to make more happen with more products and more
ways to shop. Through its world-class retail, online and delivery
capabilities, Staples lets customers shop however and whenever they
want, whether it’s in-store, online or on mobile devices. Staples offers
more products than ever, such as technology, facilities and breakroom
supplies, furniture, safety supplies, medical supplies, and Copy and
Print services. Staples also offers free shipping for Staples Rewards
Members, in most cases overnight. Headquartered outside of Boston,
Staples operates throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia,
Australia and New Zealand. More information about Staples (SPLS) is
available at www.staples.com.
SYS-CON Events announced today that Transparent Cloud Computing (T-Cloud) Consortium will exhibit at the 19th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
The Transparent Cloud Computing Consortium (T-Cloud Consortium) will conduct research activities into changes in the computing model as a result of collaboration between "device" and "cloud" and the creation of new value and markets through organic data proces...
Oct. 27, 2016 10:30 PM EDT Reads: 1,501
SYS-CON Media announced today that @WebRTCSummit Blog, the largest WebRTC resource in the world, has been launched.
@WebRTCSummit Blog offers top articles, news stories, and blog posts from the world's well-known experts and guarantees better exposure for its authors than any other publication.
@WebRTCSummit Blog can be bookmarked ▸ Here
@WebRTCSummit conference site can be bookmarked ▸ Here
Oct. 27, 2016 10:30 PM EDT Reads: 9,785
Intelligent machines are here. Robots, self-driving cars, drones, bots and many IoT devices are becoming smarter with Machine Learning.
In her session at @ThingsExpo, Sudha Jamthe, CEO of IoTDisruptions.com, will discuss the next wave of business disruption at the junction of IoT and AI, impacting many industries and set to change our lives, work and world as we know it.
Oct. 27, 2016 10:30 PM EDT Reads: 532
In today's uber-connected, consumer-centric, cloud-enabled, insights-driven, multi-device, global world, the focus of solutions has shifted from the product that is sold to the person who is buying the product or service. Enterprises have rebranded their business around the consumers of their products. The buyer is the person and the focus is not on the offering. The person is connected through multiple devices, wearables, at home, on the road, and in multiple locations, sometimes simultaneously...
Oct. 27, 2016 10:30 PM EDT Reads: 3,831
Everyone knows that truly innovative companies learn as they go along, pushing boundaries in response to market changes and demands. What's more of a mystery is how to balance innovation on a fresh platform built from scratch with the legacy tech stack, product suite and customers that continue to serve as the business' foundation.
In his General Session at 19th Cloud Expo, Michael Chambliss, Head of Engineering at ReadyTalk, will discuss why and how ReadyTalk diverted from healthy revenue an...
Oct. 27, 2016 10:30 PM EDT Reads: 3,075
Established in 1998, Calsoft is a leading software product engineering Services Company specializing in Storage, Networking, Virtualization and Cloud business verticals. Calsoft provides End-to-End Product Development, Quality Assurance Sustenance, Solution Engineering and Professional Services expertise to assist customers in achieving their product development and business goals. The company's deep domain knowledge of Storage, Virtualization, Networking and Cloud verticals helps in delivering ...
Oct. 27, 2016 10:15 PM EDT Reads: 1,157
In the 21st century, security on the Internet has become one of the most important issues. We hear more and more about cyber-attacks on the websites of large corporations, banks and even small businesses. When online we’re concerned not only for our own safety but also our privacy. We have to know that hackers usually start their preparation by investigating the private information of admins – the habits, interests, visited websites and so on. On the other hand, our own security is in danger bec...
Oct. 27, 2016 10:15 PM EDT Reads: 669
The Internet of Things (IoT), in all its myriad manifestations, has great potential. Much of that potential comes from the evolving data management and analytic (DMA) technologies and processes that allow us to gain insight from all of the IoT data that can be generated and gathered. This potential may never be met as those data sets are tied to specific industry verticals and single markets, with no clear way to use IoT data and sensor analytics to fulfill the hype being given the IoT today.
Oct. 27, 2016 10:00 PM EDT Reads: 2,909
SYS-CON Events announced today that Hitrons Solutions will exhibit at the 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Hitrons Solutions Inc. is distributor in the North American market for unique products and services of small and medium-size businesses, including cloud services and solutions, SEO marketing platforms, and mobile applications.
Oct. 27, 2016 10:00 PM EDT Reads: 2,101
Enterprises have been using both Big Data and virtualization for years. Until recently, however, most enterprises have not combined the two. Big Data's demands for higher levels of performance, the ability to control quality-of-service (QoS), and the ability to adhere to SLAs have kept it on bare metal, apart from the modern data center cloud. With recent technology innovations, we've seen the advantages of bare metal erode to such a degree that the enhanced flexibility and reduced costs that cl...
Oct. 27, 2016 09:45 PM EDT Reads: 619
OnProcess Technology has announced it will be a featured speaker at @ThingsExpo, taking place November 1 - 3, 2016, in Santa Clara, California. Dan Gettens, OnProcess’ Chief Analytics Officer, will discuss how Internet of Things (IoT) data can be leveraged to predict product failures, improve uptime and slash costly inventory stock.
@ThingsExpo is an annual gathering of IoT and cloud developers, practitioners and thought-leaders who exchange ideas and insights on topics ranging from Big Data in...
Oct. 27, 2016 09:45 PM EDT Reads: 523
As companies adopt the cloud-to-streamline workflow, deployment hasn’t been very seamless because of IT concerns surrounding security risks. The cloud offers many benefits, but protecting and securing information can be tricky across multiple cloud providers and remains IT’s overall responsibility.
In his session at 19th Cloud Expo, Simon Bain, CEO of SearchYourCloud, will address security compliance issues associated with cloud applications and how document-level encryption is critical for sup...
Oct. 27, 2016 09:15 PM EDT Reads: 357
More and more companies are looking to microservices as an architectural pattern for breaking apart applications into more manageable pieces so that agile teams can deliver new features quicker and more effectively.
What this pattern has done more than anything to date is spark organizational transformations, setting the foundation for future application development. In practice, however, there are a number of considerations to make that go beyond simply “build, ship, and run,” which changes ho...
Oct. 27, 2016 09:00 PM EDT Reads: 3,692
SYS-CON Events announced today that Impiger Technologies will exhibit in Booth #109 at the 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Impiger Technologies is a world-class, enterprise software product engineering company specializing in Mobile Application Development, Cloud Applications, Microsoft Technology Solutions, Web Technology and Telecom Services. Impiger Technologies helps enterprises improve busi...
Oct. 27, 2016 08:45 PM EDT Reads: 304
SYS-CON Events announced today that Enzu will exhibit at the 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Enzu’s mission is to be the leading provider of enterprise cloud solutions worldwide. Enzu enables online businesses to use its IT infrastructure to their competitive advantage. By offering a suite of proven hosting and management services, Enzu wants companies to focus on the core of their online busine...
Oct. 27, 2016 07:45 PM EDT Reads: 1,462


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I work for probably the last company on earth that still sells Blackberry’s as our primary product, then again I live in a pretty backwater island. I’ve told people constantly that we need to get a move on catching up with the way the rest of the world is going I mean you go to the US and you will nearly NEVER see a blackberry, even windows is starting to slowly make a comeback seeing EU rising to over 3% recently meanwhile news has hit that RIM’s Manufacturer warehouses are apparently sitting on… wait for it … ONE BILLION DOLLARS worth of merchandise LMFAO!
Seriously this isn’t me making it up, and this figure is RIM’s warehouse. NOT the retailers store rooms, which by a walk through manhattan recently is anything to go by any stock said retailers had, is probably majorly gathering dust as no one is even considering buying them.
I’m still trying to catch up on what all happened but I also hear that trading on RIM stock has been or will be suspended, and that RIM is currently hiring outside bank’s and research groups to recommend how to move forward. At this point I think everything is on the block from selling out their patents or the company itself, to bide time until there new OS is ready and then truly pray for a miracle that it gets picked up fast.
This coming hot on the heels of more and more executives seeing the writing on the wall apparently as they leave, all of executive positions with the company. A lot more than just a company shakeup from even the minor observers. At the rate that RIM is going there going to have to have a huge amount of US Money Reserves to be able to pull this one out of the trash. I mean you’ve now got Microsoft announcements for WP8 upcoming and apple and google hitting HARD. they really needed to release there new OS like a year ago to even think about being competitive in this day and age.
Source: News Observer


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Times of Oman
Price in RO
24ct / gm
22ct / gm
Forex Rates vs R01
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Yahoo! users will be mostly mobile in 2014 says CEO
January 22, 2014 , 1 : 25 pm GST
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Marissa Mayer. Photo - AFP
Struggling Internet giant Yahoo! will see more users accessing its services by mobile in 2014 than classic desktops, chief executive Marissa Mayer said on Wednesday at the Davos World Economic Forum.
"2014 will be the year of the crossover," Mayer said while sitting on a panel regarding the world digital context.
"By the end of this year we will have more mobile users than we have PC traffic. You have to be prepared for that," she said.
In December Yahoo was the most popular online venue visited from US desktop computers and the firm has been under pressure to switch its core of the business to the increasingly crucial world of smartphones.
Mayer has made improving Yahoo's popularity on smartphones and tablets a priority as the faded Internet search pioneer is re-invented.
Mayer, who was poached from Internet rival Google in 2012, has run into road bumps in recent weeks with the surprise exit of two top executives including her second-in-command.
Chief operating officer Henrique de Castro walked away with a $20 million dollar (14.7-billion-euro) stock award and other compensation after just 15 months on the job.
In Davos, Mayer said hiring was key to the next stage of the company's development.
"It is a matter of hiring the right people and making sure these people are really informed," she said.
The departure of Castro amid continued poor ad revenue left analysts wondering whether Yahoo! will disappoint in a quarterly earnings report due on January 28.
Mayer said she arrived to Yahoo! when the company had just suffered five years of turbulence and the staff she discovered were eager to turn the company around.
The employees "had all this pent-up energy" she said.
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ECUADOR VIOLATED THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF ROBERTO AND WILLAM ISAIAS AND THE UNITED NATIONS ORDERS "FULL REPARATION"
KT fined 165 million won for delaying mobile service activation for Galaxy Note 20 smartphones
KT Corp. has been fined 165 million won by South Korea's telecommunications regulator for delaying activation of its mobile network services for Galaxy Note 20 smartphones for up to six days without proper cause.
The delay from August 7 to 13 last year affected nearly 19,465 users who had preordered Note 20 smartphones, who accounted for 26.7 percent of KT's total 72,840 preorders.
The Korea Communications Commission said KT violated local telecommunications laws by delaying network activation.
The incentives for Note 20 smartphones sales were lower than for other smartphones, leading KT's retail store workers to allegedly delay the network activation to prioritize opening network services for other phones.
The KT headquarters also delayed service activations to prevent a system overload due to the device's popularity, which the commission said was not a justification for its actions.
The commission also ordered KT to improve its services, such as user notifications.


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Showing off the company’s 3D Tile Format technology, in conjunction with several of its partners, is Sisvel, which is already planning for a forthcoming autostereoscopic future.
“The big advantage of 3D Tile from a broadcaster’s point of view is that it allows both 2D and 3D content to be transmitted using a single channel,” said Davide Ferri, Sisvel’s business development manager. “That means half the expense – and 3D Tile is unique in the way it achieves this.”
Ferri noted that today’s 3D technology has been slow to take off, and attributes this largely to the need to wear glasses. Sisvel, however, is already planning for an autostereoscopic future, and is demonstrating its 3DZ Tile Format, an evolution of the 3D Tile Format developed by Sisvel and its Russian partner Triaxes, which specialises in software and hardware solutions for autostereoscopic display.
Triaxes has added Z (depth) information to Sisvel’s 3D Tile Format, leading to the creation of 3DZ Tile, which the company says is the first universal display-independent format, that can provide users with proper video playback, regardless of the type of display they use (common 2D, glasses 3D and glasses-free 3D). Creating a depth map at the broadcaster’s premises is said to facilitate the synthesis of intermediate views for autostereoscopic displays, successfully offloading on broadcasting systems the computation normally present in the TV.


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The Biden White House recently unveiled a document that they believe will set the tone for responsible use of one of the most critical technologies that is set to define both the long-term and short-term future of Americans — Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The document, “The Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights: Making Automated Systems Work for the American People,” was released just weeks ago by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (WHOSTP). It specifically lays out five principles that the WHOSTP feels should guide the “design, use, and deployment” of automated systems to protect Americans in the age of artificial intelligence.
The 76-page Blueprint’s five key points of emphasis are creating safe and effective AI systems, providing algorithmic discrimination protections, data privacy, clarified notice and explanations of how AI may be used, and providing alternative options for consumers that choose to opt out.
Although the idea of either regulating the use of or providing guidance in the AI space may seem like a groundbreaking idea, the truth is, about 60 countries already have national AI strategies and the United States is largely playing catch-up.
And as a result of leading from behind, Big-Tech giants, who are on the cutting edge of collecting the data that is fueling most of the major platforms already leveraging AI, are now using their data irresponsibly and consumers are bearing the brunt of those efforts.
This has mostly been seen in the overly aggressive advertising models offered by companies like Google, Microsoft, and Facebook that put a premium on profitability over consumer protection. These companies, which possess a virtual monopoly on ecommerce have long engaged in irresponsible and deceptive behaviors.
The advertising networks affiliated with these behemoths are notorious for ruining the average consumer’s internet experience by bombarding them with countless misleading and confusing advertisements.
For instance, the typical advertisements people are presented with on download sites may be hidden as buttons, or pages may provide a multitude of advertisements disguised as clickable buttons that appear to serve a completely different purpose all together.
For instance, Google’s ad network serves up ads that look like website actions, which generate lots of clicks and make lots of money for the websites who host them.
Because these ads look like website actions (like download, or start quiz), the consumer thinks they’re taking an action that’s endorsed by the website, and they follow through the ad to the landing page, installing the software, which leads them to unintended purchases. They get cheated this way, all starting with the misleading ad.
That misleading ad got served up because Google’s AI was irresponsible: it measured the click effectiveness (how many times the ad got clicked when it was shown), and it measured the amount the advertiser was willing to pay per click.
Because presumably no human is overseeing this process, ads masquerading as website actions get increasingly shown on these action-oriented sites (download software, take a quiz). These kinds of actions particularly exploit novice web users and the elderly.
Although these behaviors are more consistent with annoying applications that exist on the fringes of the malware world and are referred to as adware, surprisingly these practices are promoted and monetized by Big-Tech companies.
Now consumer protection groups have begun to take a stand on behalf of internet users against this kind of malicious online profiteering. One notable example is an organization known as AppEsteem. Their organization has been leading the fight against unwanted software and unfair consumer practices online for the past six years.
According to their President Dennis Batchelder, who once worked for Microsoft on their security products, “Unfair ads lead less internet-savvy consumers into unwanted downloads and purchases.
The Big-Tech companies who control how these misleading ads get shown need to show more respect to consumers. They’re polluting the web browsing experience, and we’re calling them out as a practical first step to get them to change.”
AppEsteem recently established a list of nine Ad Pollution Indicators and has called out 30 ad networks, including the likes of Google, Microsoft, and Facebook. By doing so, they hope to start an honest conversation about how today’s automated online advertising is exploiting consumers.
Over the next few months, AppEsteem hopes to build pressure against BigTech’s unfair advertising practices by assembling an industrywide coalition and releasing their own software that protects consumers against ad pollution.
The internet is a dangerous enough place without the so-called “powers that be” enabling malicious behaviors. Hopefully with enough pressure, Big-Tech will begin to alter their practices in an effort to create a safer environment for all web surfers.
Julio Rivera is a small business consultant, political activist, writer, and editorial director. He has been a regular contributor to Newsmax since 2016, on both its web pages and television network. His commentary has also appeared in The Hill, The Washington Times, The Washington Examiner, American Thinker, The Toronto Sun, and more. Read Julio Rivera’s Reports—More Here.
© 2022 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


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In an unexpected move camping world (NYSE:CWH) exceeded expectations even as the US reopened. The RV-focused company has seen its business slow down, but Camping World hasn’t seen a drop in demand, like some other companies benefited from COVID lockdowns. my investment thesis remains neutral after rallying over 15% following the stock solid Q2’22 results.
Camping World reported a solid quarter, overcoming stiff competition from 2021 when revenue grew 28.2% in the second quarter. The leisure retailer reported that its June quarter revenue rose 5.2% from already elevated 2021 levels as follows:
The headline number is impressive, but Camping World was hit by higher costs that hurt the bottom line. Gross profit fell 5.7% to $716.8 million, while Adjusted EBITDA fell 16.7% to $55.6 million. The company reported strong adjusted earnings per share of $2.16, but the number was down from the $2.33 reported last year.
Camping World is constantly adding new stores through acquisitions, so quarterly sales will always increase over time. As with any retailer that operates stores, it is important to keep track of the same store earnings.
The leisure retailer reported roughly flat comp sales of $1.87 million per store, despite selling 3,315 fewer units overall. Camping World now operates 168 identical store locations, with service bays up 5.2% year over year to 2,613 to match sales growth.
As the chart below highlights, Camping World saw a sudden jump in sales starting in 2020, with a flattening phase expected in the next year. Analysts are forecasting sales of approximately $6.9 billion over the next few years, which seems aggressive.
Amid high inflation, the lack of same-store sales growth was behind the decline in earnings and Adjusted EBITDA. The biggest hit came from a 380 basis point reduction in gross margins to 33.1%, while SG&A expenses were somewhat constrained with growth of just $8.9 million.
Camping World has overcome a supposedly difficult motorhome market with declining sales. According to Baird, May saw a 31% drop in retail RV sales. The market forecast called for a drop of 450,000 units in 2022, followed by another drop of 420 units in 2023.
Camping World increased average selling prices by more than 10% for the quarter, with key new vehicle sales up 13.8% to $46,000. Increased selling prices helped offset the 8.5% decline in vehicles sold.
In most scenarios where unit numbers drop, prices eventually reverse. One might expect these vehicle prices to fall as inflation falls and RV sales struggle.
The company has new vehicle units per location down to 175 units. According to CEO Marcus Lemonis, Camping World has historically had the following holdings in the Q2’22 earnings call:
To date, our average number of new units per site is approximately 175, totaling approximately $6.4 million. That number is down from pre-pandemic levels, which averaged around 197 new units between 2016 and 2019 around the same time of the year. I will refer to this benchmark. The highest level in the last six years was in 2017 with an average of 207 new units per location and 2018 with 214. Look, we’re very confident that with our current consumer demand coupled with our backlog with the manufacturers we’re in a very solid position.
As always, Camping World is an exceptional RV operator, cheaply buying up dealership locations and expanding into new products while reallocating inventory between new and used based on demand.
While hoping for a lower entry point into Camping World, the stock has already surged above $30. The stock market appears to have bottomed and Camping World is over 15% higher than big Q2 22 gains.
The stock continues to face a difficult environment, with earnings at risk. Most retailers and tech stocks benefiting from the COVID pull-forward have seen absolutely crushed results.
Ahead of the second quarter 2022 earnings report, consensus analysts’ EPS target was $4.42 for 2023. Management continues to suggest a solid 2023, although market data presents a vastly different position.
If Camping World can report EPS above $4 next year, the stock is definitely still cheap at $30. The big question is if that will actually happen when new car sales are expected to fall and prices will eventually have to be reduced as inventory levels in the industry improve while demand slacks.
Over the long term, investors at these levels will do well to buy Camping World. The company has the business plan and product expansion to deliver shareholder returns at such a low stock valuation.
In the near term, investors can likely get better value, or buy an already battered stock that will see the deal fully reset from the 2021 pull forwards. The stock may never fall from these levels, but the odds appear mixed, making it not a particularly compelling entry here.
The key takeaway for investors is that Camping World squarely beat expectations for a major slump in revenue and earnings. The RV market still seems set for a very weak year, suggesting the stock will likely offer a better entry point during the winter.


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Amazon is one in the car of games in the cloud as Google with stadium, Nvidia with Geforce Now o Microsft with Project xCloud. The US giant of electronic commerce and computer services in the cloud has everything ready for the launch of its own gaming platform in the cloudthe one who has the name of the key of Project Tempo.
When the project went into total radio silence, the project took place several months of development y le han worth hundreds of millions of dollars to be at the height of competition. As if there could be no other way in this battle for users, Amazon is already developing its own exclusive titles for this service and we are not talking about New World, who will jump on Steam, we are talking about titles not announced which will complement perfection with its streaming platform, Twitch.
[amazon box=»B0829NWK9Z,B0829PGHXP» grid=»2″]
This project is one of the largest capital investments by the company since its inception, as previously mentioned, Amazon’s intentions to lead Gaming in the Cloud are already clear. If Project Time manages to improve aspects such as reaction time ahead of its competitors could take the light ahead with its service, which is considered crucial for it to be a success or a break.
For this cometido, the giant Jeff Bezos stands for a large network of data centers rolled out around the world as part of Amazon Web Servicea collection of computer services in the cloud that will play an important role in ensuring an optimal experience for any user.


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Fast food restaurants are adding wine to their menus in a bid to boost sales.
Burgerville, a 39-unit chain in the United States’ Pacific Northest, recently put wine and beer on the drinks list at one of its restaurants in Vancouver, Washington, a municipality close to Portland, Oregon.
‘We wanted to create a different kind of dining experience’, said Jeff Harvey, president of the chain.
‘The guests have been surprised but very pleased with the idea’.
Burgerville plans to expand its wine offering to other locations across the country, while Denver-based Chipotle Mexican Grill has added beer and Margaritas to its drinks list.
‘If you’re trying to trade upon your image as a premium fast food restaurant, wine really fits with that image’, says David Henkes of Chicago-based market research firm Technomic.
Starbucks announced plans in July to change the name of one of its Seattle stores – to 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea – and begin serving wine and beer.
This is not the first time wine and fast food have been combined.
Taylor’s Automatic Refresher, a three-location chain in Northern California, is a pioneer in the so-called ‘burgers and Burgundy’ movement.
Founded by winemaker Joel Gott, the restaurant has been serving half bottles of Napa greats such as Shafer Vineyards with your onion rings for a decade.
Drinking wine out of a plastic cup was immortalized in the 2004 hit movie Sideways, when protagonist Miles cracks open his cherished 1961 Cheval Blanc in a fast food joint (pictured).
Written by Lucy Shaw


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LOS ANGELES There’s yet another recently announced culinary festival joining the Los Angeles food event scene—but this one has a distinct twist. Created by the food tech entity the Infatuation (which has a website, newsletter, mobile app, and text referral service), the new Eeeeeatscon is made for Instagrammers, and for Instagram.
The new, ticketed event, slated for Santa Monica's Barker Hangar on May 20, will feature big-name participants such as chef Nancy Silverton and music-industry talent agent and Hollywood executive Shep Gordon. Local restaurants and vendors on board include the first Eataly on the West Coast, as well as Shake Shack and others. The Knocks will headline the festival along with a music performance by Lizzo, creating an atmosphere where millennials can gather to fete the intersection of food, music, and pop culture.
“This festival is all about community—much in the way that the social-media platforms themselves have connected like-minded people around the world, we want Eeeeeatscon to be a place where people who are passionate food and restaurants can connect with each other,” said Infatuation co-founder Chris Stang.
While other festivals, such as the Los Angeles Times' newly announced Food Bowl, lay claim to community-building as a key facet of programming, Stang said that interactivity and participation are among the fest’s additional distinctive components. “We want it to be far more interactive than the typical food festival, so you won't see chefs doing cooking demos to a large room full of people, but instead moments around the festival where attendees can engage with speakers, panelists, and restaurants, and ideally try something, learn something, or get inspired,” he said. “At its core, Eeeeeatscon is meant to be exciting but informal, and built for people to explore their passions beyond the smartphone screen.”
So how will the Infatuation build a food event around the very concept of Instagram? Well, first, Stang said, “Across the event, there will be areas and installations set up with the sole purpose of creating shareable moments. We'll be utilizing local L.A. artists and designers to build photo walls, Boomerang rooms [set up for the video app], and other creative activations that people can participate in, with or without food in hand.”
Beyond that, the food will be made as much for its visual, sharable appeal as for taste. “Our main concern is that the food tastes good, but we're confident it will all look good too,” Stang said. And it will be convenient for fans to share: “Many of our social activations will be next to or very near the food vendors, so the plan is that people can quickly take photos near where the food is served.”
Although this event is new on the calendar, live events have always been central to the Infatuation's community-engagement approach. “We've always been passionate about connecting with our audience offline and in person,” Stang said. “Having worked for more than a decade in the music business before we started Infatuation full time, we are very comfortable with the live events and festival space. ... Events have always been part of what we do; this one just happens to be the biggest and most ambitious to date.”


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We’ll start with the slightly nicer news first, which is that the thought-to-be-long-lost black and white ballgown from Sabrina, after being found hidden in a trunk amongst Debbie Reynold’s things and nearly donated to a local thrift shop, was sold at auction last month and went for a whopping $204,000! No word on who bought the dress, or what its future holds, since we never do see these again, do we? Continue reading “Family drama, and an iconic dress goes back into hiding”
As I’d said before, I’m really, incredibly happy to see the iconic Sabrina dress in the public eye. It hasn’t been getting quite as much attention as the Christie’s auction happening at the end of the month, but I’m sure the excitement will just build – besides, we still have about three weeks until the Debbie Reynolds & Carrie Fisher auctions begin!
While we’re all thrilled that the Sabrina gown has been found and shown to us again, what’s even more exciting is that the auction house, Profiles in History, appear to have also settled a 60 year old debate: who really made the couture frocks Audrey Hepburn wore in Sabrina?


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Well, in our previous article we have already mentioned how the blame game between Apple and Qualcomm continued. Both the companies are at cold war with each other, and it is evident from their constant files and lawsuits. Now, Apple once again filed a lawsuit against Qualcomm. It is the third time now. Apple says they filed the lawsuit in January.
Right now, the details of the lawsuit are not entirely clear. The court cleared that the case is related to the patents. In the previous lawsuits, Apple already claimed Qualcomm is charging a much higher price for the use of a basic patent in preparing iPhones. Apple also claims it is abusing their position as a market leader.
The complaint of FTC against Qualcomm
The lawsuits of Apple started hitting the market the moment after the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced it would “sue Qualcomm because they violated anti-competition law”. The FTC also alleged the company used its dominance for demanding higher patent pays from all smartphone makers. Apple had to make an exclusive deal with it so that they can avoid any troubles.
On the other hand, Qualcomm spokesperson didn’t comment on this lawsuit. They said they didn’t see the complaints and thus they don’t want to respond right now. But Apple has something different to say, [quotes quotes_style=”bquotes” quotes_pos=”center”]For many years they have unfairly insisted on charging royalties for technologies they have nothing to do with. Unfortunately after years of disagreement over what constitute a fair and reasonable royalty we have no choice left but to turn to the courts[/quotes] It is exactly what Apple said in their statement. The statement also claimed, it charges Apple five times more than all other patent licensors combined.
It is the third time Apple had to opt for the lawsuit. Things are turning out to be interesting now. Since Qualcomm said they didn’t see the complaints, right now we cannot say how Qualcomm will react. But surely, if this continues, a lot of mobile makers will turn over from Qualcomm and it might lose its market dominance. Let’s see how things turn out.